


How Edea Got Her Groove Back

by TheStockholmEffect



Category: Bravely Default: Flying Fairy
Genre: Coming of Age, Eventual Sex, F/M, POV First Person, Politics, Post-Game(s), Romance, Spoilers, chapter eight spoilers, srsly dont read unless you havent properly finished the game
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-20
Updated: 2015-02-06
Packaged: 2018-02-09 15:25:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1988013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStockholmEffect/pseuds/TheStockholmEffect
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'm Edea Lee, future ruler to Eternia. I've done a lot of things in the past I'm not proud of, but on the whole, I've accomplished many things. Saving many worlds is just one of them.</p>
<p>Since then, the Four Heroes of Light have gone our separate paths. Tiz is getting Norende rebuilt, Agnès is rebuilding the Wind Temple and I'm striving to rebuild Eternia's relationships with the rest of the kingdoms. You could say I have my work cut out for me.</p>
<p>And Ringabel? Well... I'd rather not talk about him, and what he felt was important to him. </p>
<p>Alternis? I honestly have no idea. He's a rare "gray" for me.</p>
<p>Still, I'm trying to make it all work. All while maintaining a fasionabluhhh wardrobe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! I'll be slowly updating this on AO3 too. If you'd like to read ahead beyond this chapter, go ahead! It's on fanfiction under the same pen name.

Edea had a habit of tapping her foot when she was excited and happy. For the first time in - how long had it been? She no longer kept count of time - a very long time, she felt like things were finally her way. Ouroboros had been defeated for good, and it was time to go home.

"I wonder if it's changed," she wondered aloud, helping Tiz carry the rest of the belongings onto Grandship. Sage Yulyana had warned them that if they didn't go through the portal in less than two hours, they would be stuck on this world.

It was a hard decision, but in the end, all four Warriors of Light had decided to go back to their original home. For Edea, it had been even harder. Swordmaster Kamiizumi was still alive here along with the rest of Eternia's best warriors. The only thing that was getting Edea through this decision was that Tiz, Agnès, and Ringabel would be going along with her.

"What's changed?" Tiz asked, as he hoisted a barrel into his arms.

"Our Luxendarc. I mean, now that Ouroboros is gone and the chasm is closed does that mean that time has reverted back to what it once was?" Edea threw a sack over her shoulder. "And what's in here anyway? Feels like bricks!"

"I guess there's only one way to find out," Tiz said as they both wobbled onto Grandship. "I think this is the last of the load. Can you tell Ringabel as soon as we board that it's time to get into the portal? We've only got about an hour before it closes up, and I need to find Agnès and make sure she's okay."

"Not a problem," Edea responded, giving him a sly wink. "Go have some alone time with your girlfriend. Datz and Zatz and the Proprietress... are they all on?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Tiz stammered, although his face was bright red. Edea chuckled; it was almost too easy to tease Tiz. He may be the most mature one of them all, Edea had to admit, but when it came to Agnès, he was so easy to read. When Tiz gathered himself, he added as if nothing happened, "They should be. I told them to head in about a half hour ago."

Edea nodded, and began to board the Grandship. At the top of the ramp, she was breathing heavily and dropped the sack on the floor, dragging an arm through her brow. Though there was a pleasant breeze whipping through what was once Norende, Edea had never entirely gotten over any non-Eternian weather. The thought of the cool snow, made her grin.  _No place like home_ , she thought to herself.

She surveyed the lower decks of Grandship, feeling a rush of last minute affection for the large ship. This had been her home for a long time and though she knew she was going to her real home, she wasn't willing to part with it just yet. Admittedly, the Grandship looked a little worse for wear now that it had survived through seven Holy Pillars, but she was confident that once they arrived in Eternia, she would see to it that Ringabel got the parts he needed to fix it.

Speaking of Ringabel... where was he? Edea glanced at The Drunken Pig, and decided to check in. The worst possible place Ringabel could be in right now would be in the tavern; he was the only one who could drive this ship.

She ran to the tavern and saw the Proprietress wiping at the countertop. The round woman's face broke into a grin. "Looking for someone? Datz, Zatz and Agnès are above deck."

"And Ringabel?"

In response, the gray-haired woman pointed to the tables toward the stairs above. "He's getting a quick bite in before we leave."

Edea thanked the woman before dashing up the stairs, thoroughly irritated. "Ringabel!" she snapped. Out of all days, the man just  _had_  to pick today to slow the pace.

When she got to the top, she saw Ringabel at one of the booths with a basket of potato wedges with melted cheese on top. Next to him was a parfait with whipped cream piled so high, it almost doubled the whole height. A bright red maraschino cherry topped the whole thing. The thing seemed to be calling out to Edea, and she felt her stomach rumble.

Ringabel chewed on one of the potato wedges, his black eyes slinking to Edea almost purposefully. On most days that Edea had gotten to know him, his face was often animated. It had been extremely easy to read him; after all, all he ever thought about was girls. But in the past few weeks, especially after regaining his memory, Edea had noticed his silences were becoming more frequent. At first, she welcomed his quiet attitude with relief. But then she had almost started to miss it. Towards the end, she had grown uncomfortable about it.

Today, as she met his eyes, she couldn't tell what he was thinking about. Aside from his mouth which had begun to slow, he had grown still upon seeing her.

But only for a moment.

"My dear, you must simply join me!" he said, traces of his smirk growing on his face. He swallowed his bite and gestured to the food on the table.

"Can it, Ringabel! We've only got an hour before the portal closes. Don't you want to go home?" But even as she said the words, she slid into the booth opposite of him and grabbed the parfait.

His grin grew wider. "Of course, I do. But won't you miss it?"

"Miss what?"

"All this?" He gestured around the tavern.

"The Grandship is coming with us, Ringabel. I'm sure I could swing by sometime and ask the Proprietress for a parfait," she snorted. She slid a spoonful of whipped cream into her mouth, reveling at the light texture and the sweetness of it. She sighed. "I think I'm in heaven." It was almost as good as Eternia's famous parfaits!

Ringabel studied her. "I'm not talking about the tavern." He hesitated for a moment. "I meant all of...  _this_. Us four working together, on an adventure, traveling across the seas of Luxendarc?"

Edea put down her spoon and met Ringabel's eyes. It was eerie how sometimes he seemed to understand how she felt about all this. But then she smiled and spooned in another mouthful of whipped cream. "Well, I mean a little. But we're still going to have each other. Agnès and Tiz will be across the ocean, so it might be a little harder to visit them, but that doesn't mean we won't make the effort!"

"We?"

"Well, obviously! You might be a pain, Ringabel, but I meant what I said about living in Eternia. I'm sure Father will have a use for you after I explain everything about you. He pretty much treats Alternis as a son, so I'm sure he'd love to have you too. Just don't talk about girls around him, and be polite when he talks to you."

"I'm always polite," Ringabel responded almost indignantly. He swallowed the last bite of his potato wedges and began to wipe his mouth daintily with the cloth napkin, as though to prove his point. He waited for Edea to finish the rest of her parfait. "How was it?"

"Sweet," Edea said. "The Proprietress definitely knows her stuff." She watched the grin on his face grow and suddenly grew suspicious. "What? Is there whipped cream on my mouth?" She used her fist to wipe at anything on her mouth.

Ringabel stood up, drawing to his full height. "Would you consider this a date?"

Edea nearly coughed up her whole parfait she had eaten. "W-what? No!" She stood up too, glaring at him.

"But I paid for your meal, and it was only us two."

"Yeah, but it was only, like, fifteen minutes."

"A fifteen minute date is still a date," he said, his voice sounding satisfied. Ugh! Sometimes she couldn't stand that grin on his face.

"Whatever makes you happy."

He walked up close to her and her heart pounded. She wanted to shrink away, but instead she stood her ground, despite the fact that he was standing inches away from her, and he was staring directly down at her. Not for the first time, did Edea curse their height difference. She was taller than the average girl her age, but Ringabel almost stood a head taller than her. It rankled her nerves to know end to know that she spent a lot of time looking up at him.

"You don't scare me," she said, and wondered if it was the way her heart was beating that made her voice seem an octave higher than usual. Ringabel often did this, standing in close proximity with Edea, and even though she always made it a point to increase the distance between them or to tell him to scram, she always felt the blood in her body turn hot.

"I'm not trying to," he murmured, that maddening side smirk still on his face. He lifted his hand, and for one crazy moment, Edea thought he was going to use it to guide her head up into kissing him, but instead he grabbed her chin and used his thumb to swipe at the corner of her lip. It took everything in her to stay completely still. She held her breath and waited for him to lower his mouth to hers.

He didn't. Instead he took a step back and said, "There was some cream still left." He wiped his thumb on his trousers and his side smirk became kind. "Remember when you rescued me from the dungeon in Central Command?"

Edea nodded, not trusting herself to speak, waiting for her heart to stop pounding so furiously. It was the first time - and only time - Edea had ever entertained the idea of Ringabel becoming her boyfriend out loud. Ringabel had grown flustered and shocked and it was then that Edea had realized he hadn't much experience with girls in the first place. It had been slightly endearing to her, but mostly hilarious when he hadn't the slightest clue what do do.

"Well, I know this isn't romantic, or perfect or ideal, but I do hope you know how much it meant to me just to have your company here."

He seemed quite serious when he said it, and Edea saw a little bit of Alternis Dim inside him. She bit her lip. My  _Alternis is dead_ , she reminded herself. There was no way he had survived that fall down Grandship in her world. But Ringabel was still very much here and in that moment, Edea found herself not so repulsed by thinking about the future they'd spend together.

"I know," she responded cheerfully.  _And I enjoyed yours too_. "Anyway, Tiz said you should start heading for the portals."

He nodded once. "Of course."

She followed him outside and up to where everybody else was waiting, thinking back to the moment he'd stepped so close to her. She touched the edge of her lip and wondered why it burned. She stared at the back of Ringabel's blond head and couldn't help the smile that graced her features. When it all came down to it, she was... happy.

"Took you two long enough," Tiz said, when they reached helm. "It's time to go Ringabel!"

"Of course," he said. He pressed a few buttons, cranked a few levers, and gripped the helm tightly with both hands as Grandship took off.

Edea watched Agnès struggle to find her footing and Tiz grip her shoulders to steady her, her heart suddenly aching. This would be the last time they would be together for a long time. She knew they all had their own duties. Agnès was the only living vestal, Tiz had Norende, she was in line for running Eternia next and Ringabel would probably be Father's bodyguard. She knew that they wouldn't be like this again.

The ship was roaring with effort as it lifted off and began to fly towards the portal. Feeling like her heart would burst if she didn't say anything at this point she yelled over the noise, "Guys, I think we should... agree on something."

Tiz raised an eyebrow and Agnès asked, "What would you want to do?"

"Let's make a promise that in six months we meet up, no matter what happens!" Her eyes began to blur, and she realized she was crying.  _Damn it, it's not like me to get sentimental! I'm Braev Lee's daughter!_  "You're the best friends I've ever had."

Agnès was silent as she regarded Edea. Then at last, she put her arms around Edea. "And you are all the dearest friends, the only friends aside from Olivia, that I would willingly die for. Tiz, Ringabel, let's do it!"

Edea was surprised when Agnès pulled Edea and Tiz into a group hug, and when Edea pulled back, she was relieved to find that she wasn't the only one with wet eyes. Agnès was fully sobbing, and even Tiz looked like tears were threatening to fall.

_I guess it wasn't just me_. She looked at Ringabel's back and touched his shoulder. "Promise me?"

He didn't answer, concentrating intently on Grandship's progress as he navigated through each world's portal. When they finally reached their world, he pulled a lever harshly and Edea nearly collided into him. Thoroughly annoyed at the Ringabel's handling of the ship, she took a deep breath and tried not to curse him out. Normally, he was really good at handling the ship. When she regained her bearings, she turned around, her hair whipping behind her to see Tiz and Agnès sprawled over each other giggling nervously at their close proximity.

_They're so cute it nearly makes me puke!_  Edea thought to herself.

"We've arrived at your world," Ringabel announced. Edea's heart ached in anticipation as she ran towards the railing to look at the bright, clear skies.  _Home_...

"It's so beautiful outside," she sighed to herself. A breeze riffled through her hair, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd appreciated flying on a ship. She had always taken flying on the Eschalot and with the Sky Knights for granted.

When she turned around, she saw Ringabel staring at her, his expression startlingly intense. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was slouched against the helm. Caught looking, he ran a gloved hand over his face, and turned away from her. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking the Eschalot."

Edea was confused. She'd been planning on granting him all of Grandship, now that its people had left and showed no plans to come back. But if he wanted the Eschalot too, she would have to talk to Father first. "Um, sure. You can have Grandship if you want too, you know."

His back was still turned to her as he pulled another lever, and Grandship began its descent. "Why would I take Grandship? You need to pilot back to Eternia, Ancheim and Caldisla."

She wasn't following, but a thread of ice had started to weave itself inside her, making her numb. "What are you prattling on about, Ringabel?" she snapped.

With a great lurch, Grandship finally sank into the waters. Once again, the landing was rough and this time Edea actually lost her footing, landing on her butt. Ringabel turned around, and reached a hand out to her. She grasped it, and he pulled her up. "Ringabel, what do you-"

"Hurry. I haven't the time." He tugged her along and she felt her cheeks grow warm at his holding her hand. It was ridiculous, really. Both of them were wearing gloves, so they weren't actually touching. And there were so many times where she'd grabbed  _his_  hand and pulled him along, and there were many other times where he had held her hand before asking her out on a date. But this time, it was different, she decided and she didn't know what precisely it was, but she followed him.

When they got to the part of the ship that held the Eschalot, Ringabel turned around. "This is where I say good bye."

Edea felt her blood still at these words. "Ringabel..."

He held a hand up to silence her, and the gesture was so authoritative, that it actually worked on her. She'd never been dismissed by Ringabel in such an abrupt manner before.

Luckily, Agnès wasn't so cowed. "Ringabel, what is the meaning of this? Are you not coming with us?"

Ringabel's face softened as he faced her. "It's been... I can't begin to describe how much the time I spent with you three has meant to me. I will never forget you all, but as you all know I don't truly belong here."

Edea's throat constricted. The blood drained from her face and she realized she was still holding his hand. She wrenched her hand away from him. She was using unnecessary force, as his grip on her was gentle, but she didn't care. "You can't do this..."

Ringabel still wasn't looking at her. "My time as Ringabel is over. I need to go back to  _my_  world, and become the man I was before Ringabel. I need to redeem myself and protect all of you from the previous world."

Edea felt herself grow unexpectedly angry. "No. You  _can't_  do that. I'm giving you a home in Eternia. You're supposed to stay in Eternia."

"I don't belong here, Edea."

"Yes, you do! You do. You belong here with me!" The words slipped out of her mouth before she had time to reconsider her words.

A shadow of that old maddening smirk came back on his face. "Why Edea, I knew all along that you had feelings for me."

Too late, she realized she had said 'me' instead of 'us' and she sought to rectify that mistake. "I meant with us! You belong with us!" But she was furious that he had the gall to smile at her like that, like this was all a joke. Nothing about this was a joke!

Tiz and Agnès exchanged glances before Tiz turned to Ringabel. "I'm not going to try and stop you, Ringabel. If you feel like this is what you have to do, then... We understand." He grabbed Ringabel's hand and clenched it tightly. "I'll miss you."

"And I, you." Ringabel said with a solemn face.

"Take care of yourself," Agnès said, her cheeks stained with tears. She was usually a lot more reserved but right now she pulled him into a fierce hug and dashed away before she could break down in front of him.

That left Edea and Ringabel. A full gust of wind blew through Edea's hair, nearly making her stumble backward. "Nice sailing conditions," he said.

"Shut up," she growled, and for the first time he flinched.

"Edea..."

"Don't. Say. My. Name."

He was quiet as he watched her face redden. She glared at him for a full minute before she decided to speak. "You know, out of everyone here, you annoyed me the most. I couldn't fathom why you were even with us. You were dead weight. You were useless. It would have been better if you just dropped the journal here because that was the only thing that helped us at all. You with your fucking memory problems could not stop the problem from exacerbating. You were useless. Tiz was the leader, Agnès was the vestal and I helped us get into Eternia, but all you did was flirt and woo women in front of me. You're a shame to us and I hate you."

Ringabel bowed his head, and she was even more furious that his face seemed deadly still. Nothing she said was impacting him and she felt an uncomfortable restlessness overcome her, making her go crazy. "Then," he said softly. "It shouldn't matter that I leave to you. I must right my wrongs."

"Why can't you right the wrongs you've made here? You've certainly made enough of them."

He sighed through his nose. "I won't tolerate this abuse, Edea, even if it is well deserved. Goodbye." He walked towards the Eschalot, and had just climbed in when she spoke again. "Don't go, Ringabel. I'm serious. Please don't go." She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe she'd said please, that she was  _begging_.

Edea Lee did not beg.

Yet here she was, running after him, grabbing onto his arm even as he was unhooking the ropes that anchored the Eschalot to Grandship. "If you refuse to stay, please take me with you!" Under any other circumstances, Edea would have been ashamed. She certainly felt ashamed for saying them out loud. She wasn't the kind of girl who chased boys and shirked her duties for them. This wasn't her, and yet...

"Edea, listen to me." He slid his hands up her arms until they slid around her shoulders. He caressed them, giving her a tender look. "I'm with you, I'll always be with you. My existence is only to the Lee's. I will be here for you, just in another world. You cannot abandon your duties here. You and I both know that."

He was right, of course. She couldn't, but right now, she couldn't see reason to it. "I..." the words caught in her throat and died. Instead, she said, "I understand." The words were stiff and clearly said she did not understand at all.

He smiled sadly. "I love you and I mean it." He drew her to him and for the second time that day, she wondered if he would kiss her on the mouth but he didn't. Instead he pressed his lips, soft and warm against her forehead, hard. And then he pulled away from her, and her world.

She didn't try to stop him.


	2. The Choice to Forget

I was absentmindedly spooning some of the parfait into my mouth when Father arrived. I immediately popped the spoon out of my mouth and stood up immediately, knocking my chair back in the process. Not exactly my finest moment but Father despised languidness and laziness in his daughter.

Mother didn't mind as much. She was easy to please, and therefore, even though I loved her to bits I didn't think as much about her as I did Father. I know it sounds kind of crazy and uncaring, that I don't pay  _as_  much attention as I should towards somebody who loves me unconditionally and, to boot, is weaker, but there's the truth.

But Father is a challenge. I've always strived to meet his ideals, and boy were they hard to live up to.

Which was why when I saw him, everything about my demeanor shifted."Father," I said as respectfully as I could, trying to mask the apprehension I felt. It's stupid that I should feel this way, even after everything I learned about him from the gossipmongers in Eternia to the journals in the Earth Temple.

"Hello, Edea," he nodded at me and heavily sat down at the breakfast table, making the utensils and plates flinch in their spots.

"Braev, please be gentle. Just yesterday you knocked over a glass," Mother said, her voice serene and warm.

"Apologies." He sounded like he meant it and started piling up food into his plate. Warily, I sat back down and began to slowly spoon bits of cream back into my mouth, watching him out of the corner of my eye.

After we reached our world, Agnès and Tiz had headed back Ancheim and Caldisla respectively. Tiz had mumbled something about further construction in Norende and righting wrongs while Agnès said that she needed to take care of the Wind Crystal first.

On the other hand, I had meekly gone back to Father and explained to him and Mother everything that had happened since I left and they said they understood. A strange understanding of sorts had come between Father and I since. I couldn't tell if he respected me or couldn't stand me because I hadn't listened to him. Either way, he had told me to take charge of Eternia until he fully recovered from the injuries that we had given him. I felt guilty about this. Lord DeRosso had said he would never wield a sword and that had been my fault. If only I had listened...

...It seemed I had learned my lesson too late.

Ever since then, I'd been learning the ropes and making the decisions for Eternia and let me tell you, it was utterly  _boring_.

I heard more complaints from the people than I ever would in my entire life! Cases were made on whether or not taxes should be lowered or made higher, compensations for the war efforts as well. For every problem I thought I solved decently, there were five more cases that popped up  _because_  of my decisions. Mother praised, advised me and reassured me, but I felt like I was drowning, failing.

I would never let Father know that though. I'd already put him through so much.

So I finished my parfait, and grabbed a cheese danish while Father counseled me on today's events, trying not to sleep at the table.

It wasn't like what Father was saying was boring me (though it  _was_  boring) it was that ever since I'd come to my world and had been separated from Tiz and Agnès, I'd started having nightmares. At first, it was about Ouroboros and Airy. Sometimes I'd hear screams from the worlds that had been annihilated by Ouroboros, which haunted me the most. Other times it was seeing Airy in all her forms. Cute yet nagging Airy, looking deceptively harmless with her winking silvery hair and liquid black eyes. Then the insect-like Airy with her greasy, white hair spilling out and her multitudes of legs she stood upon. And her fully insectoid version and lastly, her in her most beautiful, yet dangerous and evil form. Her last form's eyes still sent chills up my spine. They were the eyes I'd gotten acquainted with throughout multiple worlds, but with an unflinching deadly stillness that bespoke of chaos. I tried not to think about those eyes that much because in my nightmares, every time I looked into those shiny, wet, dead eyes I saw my own reflection.

I had never been really close with Airy, nor had particularly liked her as much as Agnès did, but her betrayal was still a huge shock to me. I wondered how Agnès had dealt with it... she had to have been worse off than I.

But these nightmares sometimes always dissolved into something I thought about constantly -  _Him_. I tried not to, of course. And after I told Father and Mother what happened, I never spoke his name again. But he always spoke mine in my dreams. In my dreams, he would thread his fingers through my hair and caress the back of my neck. He would say my name with such reverence, it was like it was a prayer for him. In these dreams, I could smell him and my body would ache because he would say, "Goodbye, Edea."

And leave. Leave me all over again. To relive that moment was an even bigger betrayal than what had Airy had done because I  _felt_  it more.

I told myself it wasn't his fault, that he had to do what he must, but it still sucked. A lot.

"Edea, are you listening to me?" Father rumbled, sounding impatient.

"Hm? Oh yes, Father," I lied. I sat up a little straighter in my chair, and tried to look attentive.

"Okay, so then I would like you to greet him at the gates of the village. I requested that he be your bodyguard, from now on."

"Who?" I asked, biting into my danish and trying to get lost in the sweet flavor.

"Alternis Dim."

I coughed up my danish.

"I assumed he died," I said, and a few seconds later, I realized how tactless I sounded. Mother looked scandalized at my choice of words and Father gave me a disapproving look so I hastily amended, "I hadn't heard news of him since I came back."

I frowned; it was true, I hadn't. If Alternis  _was_  alive, surely he would have asked for me? Alternis usually sought me out, rather than the other way around. It had been nearly two weeks since my return, and practically everybody else in Eternia knew of my arrival so there wasn't a chance that Alternis was dead or really even unconscious, considering he was to be my bodyguard.

My bodyguard...

"Wait, my bodyguard?" I choked out. I couldn't help but drop my danish, and feel the blood drain out of my face. "This is preposterous. He's always been your bodyguard, Father! And you need one now more than ever, now that you can no longer wield a sword! I can take care of myself besides-"

"Silence, Edea," Father interrupted, and although his deep voice was curt, it didn't seem angry or even mildly irritated. "As I was saying, I'm relieving you from your duties as Eternia's ruler for the time being for a very important mission I have for you. Your mother and I shall be taking over Eternia's rule." I was less than enthusiastic about his last bit of news. Mother was always frail, and father now was too. Between both of their maimed forms, I didn't know how well their presences would inspire Eternia to believe that they were powerful and robust leaders.

But important mission? I perked up. Surely there would be blood, and fights and anything but awfully boring politics...

"I would have you and Alternis join that Wind Vestal of yours. I hear she is about to visit each major region to find a new vestal."

"Agnès," I corrected automatically, wondering how Father still refused to call the Wind Vestal by her name even after I told him everything. Suddenly, I was apprehensive. The last time Father had counseled me to find her, I had ended up betraying not only him, but all of Eternia, which also included the deaths of many of my friends at my own hand. With a sudden pang in my heart, I thought of Artemia, Einheria and Mephilia as well as Swordmaster Kamiizumi.

"Yes," he said after a pause, as if he wasn't fond of being corrected. "Her. As you are well aware, Eternia's only remaining ally is Florem. Our relationship is tenuous at best with them, ever since that blasted DeRosa tried to make a profit off their most sacred creatures. Though their citizens don't seem to care much about spiritual nature that the Florie fairies destruction or the killings of the Orochi, their Matriarch does, and she is hesitant to reignite an alliance. It doesn't help that Victoria killed Olivia.

"We still have a long way to go in reforging our alliances with Eisenberg, Ancheim and Caldisla. That is why I need you now more than ever."

"Me?" I squeaked. I couldn't see how we could reforge any sort of alliance with Eisenberg or Caldisla. Ancheim, maybe, since Agnès was loved by all its people. I was sure it wouldn't take a lot on her part to appeal to her people. Caldisla was still reeling from Eternia's skirmishes. I was sure that the King would not forgive us so easily for killing Owen. I hoped Tiz might be able to appeal there. But the hardest would undoubtedly be Eisenberg. It would be impossible to establish any sort of alliance with them, especially after Qada laid waste to most of their land.

"I would not ask you of this job, if I did not think you most capable of it. It is true that most of Luxendarc does not know Eternia. We are a region shrouded in the heavens, and not many of us leave this place. You are perhaps one of the few who has actually aided these regions, and you are my daughter. Of all of us, you are most suited to this job."

I was touched by his words to the point where I could not say anything. Father hadn't commanded me; he had  _asked_  me. That never happened. If he ever paid attention to me, it was only to command me to go through further training or to go to the Sky Knights, like last time. Him asking me?

And I also realized that he was right. My travels to Caldisla, Florem, Ancheim and Eisenberg had gotten me acquainted to many other cultures. People knew me, and respected me for choosing them over my own home country. It would just be a lot harder if I went and, this time I was going for the interests of  _my_ country. Would they listen to me then, when they realized I had aligned myself with my father?

Briefly I thought about what Agnès would do. Undoubtedly, she would understand now that she knew what Father was trying to prevent all along. She would be for it. I almost imagined her voice, gentle, yet full of purpose.  _"You have a duty to fulfill to your own people, Edea_." I thought she'd say. She was all about duty, after all.

And Tiz? I thought about what he might say. Gentle Tiz, never stepping on each other's beliefs. I conjured up his face as best as I could. What would Tiz say?  _"I think you should... do what you think is best, Edea. Do you think it would help?_ "Yeah, I did. In my travels I knew that Eternia was far more advanced than the rest of the kingdoms. All regions would benefit from the way they ran things, I was sure of it. And in exchange, I knew that Eternia could learn a  _lot_  from Eisenberg, Caldisla, Florem and Ancheim.

As if I didn't need to think about it,  _his_  voice echoed in my head and my heart almost shattered at the way he usually sounded so annoyingly charming, as if he were putting on a show.  _"I don't know about you, but I'd be in it for all the girls."_  I almost laughed out loud, before growing sober.  _"Is it what would make you happy?"_

I bit my lip and shoved that thought aside. He wouldn't say that. He didn't care about my happiness, I thought savagely. If he did he would have stayed. The pain was too unbearable, now that I was thinking about him. No amount of parfaits would cure the bitterness I felt.

Deep down, I knew it wasn't his fault at all. He had a life before he met me, and it was clear that the Edea in his world needed him more than I did. She probably was far more gracious and charming to him, for him to make the decision to stay behind with her. I couldn't help but hate her... or me. Whatever it was, I couldn't help but despise her. It sounded silly to be jealous of another version of myself, but there it was.

I needed some way to forget Ringabel, I realized, which cinched my decision. I needed to busy my mind. I took a deep breath and looked at Father square in the eye so that he could see the seriousness in my eyes.

"Well, Edea?"

"I'll do it."


	3. Take Off

I was thinking about Ancheim when I finished packing. Out of all regions, Ancheim's climate was especially harsh on me. I had grown up in a place where it was perpetually cold and snowy; Ancheim was hot and dry and sand tended to cling to  _everything_  which tended to be a problem if you wanted to show a bit of skin. Because of that, I made sure to pack loose, light clothing that covered most of my body. I also decided to forgo my spell fencing costume; the only one in our group who had shown any sort of affinity to it had been Tiz which was strange. I was an expert at the blade and bow, and my black magic skills were probably the best among the four of us, but if I put them together it ended up being a disaster. I fondly looked back at the times where I accidentally ended up shooting a poison arrow at Ringabel.

Ringabel...

The few times I  _had_  worn it, it had been to see Ringabel's expression. I confess, I was selfishly addicted to rendering him speechless. It was always amusing to see Ringabel shocked, but shocked to silence by me invoked the deepest feeling of self-worth and satisfaction.

It was useless now; the spell fencer's costume only reminded me of him more than ever. It had been why I ultimately left it behind. I also wanted to leave behind the Bravo Bikini, but Mother asked me to take it with me. "You never know what Florem Beauty Contests you could win with this." Despite my protests, she ended up putting it in my suitcase anyway with a wink.

I knew she meant it for the best; though she never really brought up the subject of Ringabel, I suspected that she knew how much I cared about him and how I felt about him. She never let on, but I sometimes caught her looking at me when she thought I wasn't aware of her. The looks she gave me were pitying, which was why I chose to ignore them; I hated when people pitied me. It was probably why these past few weeks we'd been together, she had spent with me, choosing to skip on her medical examinations as much as possible. We'd spent a lot of time together which was really nice, and put my mind off Ringabel admittedly, but when night came and I was alone in my room, my thoughts always tended to drift back to him. I was relieved when the day finally arrived where it was time to set a course for Ancheim.

Now everybody was ready to board the ship. Father had allowed us a Sky Ship which I had named The Eschalot. And why not?  _He_  had taken the old one.

I gripped the railing of the ship, watching my new crew bustle about. I couldn't help but think about Ominas Crowe. He had been with me last time I made this journey; now he was dead. I pressed my lips together tightly and tried not to think too much about him. It was true that out of all the people I'd killed that I knew, his was one of the few I'd felt least guilty about; in all the worlds, he never seemed sympathetic, only crazier and crazier.

But from time to time, he still managed to creep into my thoughts. I shoved him aside for a minute to appreciate the view.

"Edea," I heard Father say. "Everything seems to be coming along well. I don't think I need to stress to you how important this mission is."

I turned around, and had to crane my neck to look at his face. His towering height cast a shadow over my entire body. Everything about Father was intimidating; he was like a wall that was impossible to get through. Ever since Tiz, Agnès, Ringabel and I had injured him, he needed to rely on a walking stick but it didn't make him any less formidable. "I understand. I'll do my best. But, um, why are you here, if I may ask?"

Father looked surprised. "I wanted to see you off."

Now  _I_  was surprised. He wanted to see  _me_  off? That was... new. I was still trying to get used to his sudden interest in me. For a moment, I didn't know what to say and I didn't even know if I  _could_ ; my throat had suddenly seized up. "Father..." I said, and was ashamed when my voice cracked.

He suddenly seemed embarrassed as well. "Well, goodbye then. I expect I will see you soon after the year is over."

Oh, yeah. I'd almost forgotten that our excursion would take about a year, if all went well. I felt like I'd only  _just_  seen him again for a short while and now I was leaving him again. How had I gone from living my whole life in Eternia, to traveling to different regions in different dimensions? "I will return, Father. And when I do, I hope I can be somebody you can be proud of. I will accomplish my mission." I was strongly reminded of my first promises to Father, and how I'd broken that last promise.

His expression was unusually gentle as he regarded me. Maybe he was thinking back to the same memory that I was. "I know."

I felt the words flare up, heating the very core of my soul. It was Father's faith in me that reignited my purpose here; I discovered that I really needed to hear those simple few words to make my self-confidence go up.

"Edea, I'm sorry I haven't told you how much I lo-"

"Lord Marshal!" a voice crisply addressed Father, as if through a heavy helmet, interrupting what he had been just about to say.

 _The damn nerve!_  I thought heatedly, looking for the perpetrator. Because I was pretty sure he'd interrupted Father when he'd just been about to say he loved me. I couldn't even remember a time dear ol' Dad used that word on me.

My glare settled on a Dark Knight, and my heart momentarily skidded to a halt.

Alternis Dim.

I couldn't tell what he was thinking. That damnable helm of his blocked his face, of course. Perhaps it was for the best. I didn't think I was ready to see how angry he was at me.

"What is it, Alternis?" Father asked, once Alternis reached us and performed a perfect bow. Despite myself, I couldn't help but internally groan. Alternis Dim was always such a suck up to Father which annoyed me since Father seemed to pay far more attention to him than me. I know I shouldn't, but I'd always felt a sort of distant jealousy towards Alternis when I actually thought about him, which was honestly, not that much.

His tone seemed normal as he talked. "Your Council meeting is about to start and I was asked to find you. As it is, we are ready to take off soon so I apologize but your good byes with your daughter should probably be wrapped up soon."

"Thank you," Father told him, before turning to me, his expression no longer gentle, but back to normal. "Goodbye then. See you next year."

And with that, he turned around and was gone. I watched his massive frame get smaller and smaller and for one horrible minute, I almost lost my nerve and wanted to scream at him to come back, to stay with me, that I _needed_ him. But I swallowed these words at the last possible second, swallowed all my tears. I hated being so needy. I had to stop being so emotional towards everybody.  _This was a problem with Ringabel and now it's a problem with Father! Get your grip together!_

I turned away from the boarding dock, steeling myself to throw on a face of leadership, a face that inspired confidence, a face that was looking directly at...

Alternis.

My fingers went cold, and my mind went blank momentarily. Why was he still standing there? I tried to mask the awkwardness I felt by adopting a neutral expression on my face. What was I supposed to say to a guy that I practically knocked to his death as he was proposing to me?

The truth was, I felt like Alternis was both a stranger and somebody I'd known my whole life. Yes, we'd grown up as children together. But he'd left at an early age, eager to train to become a Dark Knight and eventually ended up on the Council of Six. I? I'd been shipped off to Master Kamiizumi who didn't live nearby and trained in the higher mountains. I'd spent years there in solitude with Einheria, his pupils and him. When I returned, Alternis was already a Dark Knight and always kept that damn armor on, claiming that an attack on Father could  _always_  happen. I remember him keeping that helmet on dutifully, until he retired to his quarters.

And truthfully? Well, I never really thought of him as interesting as he had apparently found  _me_. I mean, sure, when I was like, six, I probably had a crush on him. But my training in the mountains with Master Kamiizumi led me to forget about him, and by the time I returned he had turned into this duty-bound, boring guy who only seemed interested in climbing the ranks, and Father. And sure, he'd spoken to me, and I'd responded graciously as the daughter of the Lord Marshal is expected to do, but honestly? I didn't think he'd  _propose_ to me. I hadn't even seen his face in a long time! I mean, wouldn't you want to see a person's face before you married them?!

It was a question that Agnès had relentlessly pestered me with after we figured out that Alternis and Ringabel had the same face. "How couldn't you know Ringabel looks exactly like Alternis?"

And the stupid, dumb answer was that I hadn't seen Alternis's face in a long time. When he was a boy, his hair had been more golden, than silver. His skin color back then was also more tanned, a result of living homeless in Florem whose climate was more tropical. Eternia had chilled his features, he had lost the baby fat, and had become far leaner and taller. He had completely changed in looks.

If only I'd paid more attention to Alternis, I thought now, staring at his armor. If I'd told him to take that stupid helmet off, we could have saved our worlds a lot easier. I mean, if we puzzled it out that Ringabel was actually Alternis, we could have saved a  _lot_  of time, I bet.

And yeah, I felt guilty too. All of Alternis's troubles lately had to have been because of me. I'd rejected him multiple times without thinking how intensely he must have felt towards me, I'd kicked him off a ship that was airborne thousands of feet, and now he was forced to be with me. I needed to start showing him more respect.

The only way to do that was to apologize and get this whole awkward business out of the way. And since I was Edea, this was going to be hard. Edea Lee, asking for forgiveness to somebody who wasn't Agnès or her own parents? That never happened.

I took a deep breath. "Alternis, um, I wanted to..." I wanted to what? Apologize? I felt really stupid. "Um, I wanted to talk about... well, what happened on that-"

"This is for you," he said in a curt voice, interrupting me. He jabbed his hand out to me and I saw an envelope in his armored hands. Mother's loopy handwriting was on the front and she'd written my name. It was probably a note apologizing for not being here to see me off. I had insisted she stay in the hospital; her health had taken a turn for the worse after skipping all her medical examinations.

Hesitantly, I took it, taking care not to brush my fingers against his, which was ridiculous as I was wearing gloves and he was wearing his usual gauntlets. "Um, thank you." I said, my cheeks burning at his interruption. I decided to begin anew. "So ah, um, as I was saying earlier, I wanted to talk about what happened on Grandship."

"Can it wait?" he asked, the same curtness in his voice. His damn helmet made it impossible to know what he was thinking, but I suspected he wasn't very pleased to see me. And why would he? He was probably very angry. "I've got a ship to fly."

He turned away, without waiting to be dismissed, his metal armor making clanking sounds against the wooden plank. Bewildered, I stared after him a moment, shocked that he'd left.

Then I grew angry. How dare he ignore me?! I slammed my boots against the wooden planks as I hurried after him to catch up.

"No, it can't," I said, as we walked. Once I caught up with him, was it my imagination or had he started to pick up the pace? Was he avoiding  _me_? Annoyed, I matched his pace. "I wanted to talk about Grandship and I wanted to apologize for pushing you off."

He grabbed the helm of the ship. "You don't have to apologize for that. I stumbled off on my own." Which was sort of the truth. The ship was shaking as bad as it was, and Alternis had been leaning against the railing when he fell.

"Yes, but..."

He finally faced me, his helmet making it impossible to read him. "Edea, you're bothering me. I can't fly this ship with you prattling on about things I really could not care less about. Please leave."

He said it in a carefully guarded voice that bordered on slight frostiness. Between the rush of the sea and the rest of the crew that was bustling about, I didn't think anybody heard him rebuff me in such a way, but I still felt like everything stilled at his words. Shame crept up, boiling hot up my wrists to my neck and my face. I couldn't believe this... I couldn't believe he was shutting me out!

Alternis never shut me out!

I expected the enormity of my shock to eventually give way to anger; that was usually how I reacted to everything, after all. Anger, recklessness, that was usually how everybody described me if they wanted to be less than charitable.

I didn't expect hurt. But that's what I felt immediately, and it didn't feel good at all. I wasn't about to let him see that his reply hurt me a lot more than I'd expected it to. "Okay, sure," I said, trying to inject nonchalance into my voice. "Sorry, I didn't realize you were busy flying the ship. Maybe we can catch up another time? See you later." I said it all in a rush, and quickly bounded away from him before I could crumble.

By the time I reached my cabin, the Eschalot had just started to rise into the air. Normally, I would have loved to watch the take-off. To feel the wind comb and caress my hair and to laugh at the freedom I felt in the open skies. But instead, I'd holed myself up in my cabin and felt a wave of loneliness, deep and terrible wash over me.

I began to count the minutes until I could see Agnès again.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the prologue only. Unfortunately, yeah this means Ringabel will not be a main character. He WILL have an appearance later on, but it won't be until much later so don't get your hopes up.
> 
> Comments, kudos, anything is all appreciated. Thanks a bunch!


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